Evil Goddess (1)

The summer breeze gently wafted through the open window, offering a brief respite from the sweltering heat in the classroom. When everyone in the class trying to fan themselves off the heat, honestly it didn't bother me a lot. I was quite surprised to see I didn't break a sweat at all.

Ever since my Awakening, something strange happened to my body. Curious, I began to explore my newfound abilities. First, I concentrated on the teacher's writing, trying to predict what he would scribble on the board next. Surprisingly, my guesses were accurate more often than not. It wasn't because I knew what he babbled about, but it was more like I gained an intuitive feeling of what the future would happen.

Next, I decided to test my reflexes. When my sister was busy taking notes beside me, she accidentally knock her pencil case off the table. But, before it happened, my hand shot out, saving her from embarrassment.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible. My hearing had become remarkably sharp, allowing me to catch even the faintest of whispers.

"Hey! Princess Cellia, pay more attention!" the teacher's voice boomed, dripping with frustration, as he hurled the chalk toward me.

"U-umm, Mistress, I paid enough," I retorted calmly. With effortless grace, I intercepted the chalk with two fingers, capturing the attention and fascination of everyone in the classroom.

"Oh, you do? Then please come here and explain the lesson to your friend," the teacher asked.

"E-eh? R-Really? U-uh, c-can you just ask me a question?" T-That's too embarrassing.

"Girl, do you like to clean the toilet more than teaching your friends?"

G-Geez, guess I didn't have a choice, huh? Reluctantly I walked to the board and started writing the topic of today's lesson.

"Magic is a gift granted by The Loom of Fate to us, the Deus race. It was the power that ascended us from any living beings, including human who is similar to us genetically," I explained as I sketched three intricate crests on the board.

"With that gift, the gods competed with each other, trying to bite chunks of the earth as much as and accumulate them as Domain. The larger the Domain is, the stronger god becomes. Currently, the world is governed by three mighty domains, overseen by The Progenitors."

I continued to draw the attention of my classmates, painting a vivid picture of the powerful forces shaping our existence.

"The Order Familia, led by the indomitable Ultima Eden, initiated the Hundred Years' War. They possess unrivaled mastery over the elements, capable of conjuring a thousand stars in a single year.

The Chaos Familia, commanded by The Savage God, vowed to unleash chaos and destruction upon the world. Their notorious reputation stems from spreading the plague that birthed Anima

The Justice Familia, under the guidance of our beloved Goddess of Justice, took a solemn oath to protect all forms of life at any cost. Their formidable protective magic, for example, The Abbhiraka Barrier, has shielded us from the ravages of war throughout these tumultuous years.

By aligning themselves to the Familia, the godling could awaken their Divinity and borrow the power of the Familia Progenitor. Betraying your Familia could bring you severe penalties or even death."

Suddenly, a voice rang in my head, [Is that all? C'mon, remember!] it inquired, its tone sending shivers down my spine. Startled, I glanced around the classroom to see if anyone else had heard it, but it seemed like the voice was meant only for me.

As I turned my attention back to the board, I was surprised to see my hand draw a strange crest on the board. It resembled the symbol of a king piece from a chess game. The crest's enigmatic presence captivated the gazes of both students and teachers.

"What's that? Don't tell me it's another one of your 'grand theories' again? Haah, Princess Cellia, when will you learn your lesson?" the teacher scoffed

"I... I don't know," I replied. What did it mean? Why was I compelled to draw it?

With a weary sigh, the teacher shook his head, seemingly exasperated. "Listen here. I understand that you are Lord Noctis's daughter, but that doesn't entitle you to special treatment. Here, in The Academy, every godling is treated equally, regardless of their bloodline," he lectured, gently tapping a book against my forehead.

"That being said, I hope you stop daydreaming and focus more on the class, Princess Novelist."

Laughter erupted throughout the classroom, a chorus of mocking amusement, as I hurriedly scurried back to my seat, my face burning with embarrassment. Dammit, that voice, when would it stop causing me trouble?

During every class, the voice plagued me with strange facts and seized control of my body without my consent. Countless times, I had been called by teachers because I submitted essays riddled with outlandish conspiracy theories. There were even cases when the voice forced me to post it to the Academy magazine! To brush it off, I often said it was a draft of my short stories, hence earning myself the nickname "Princess Novelist."

But deep down, I knew there was more to this. he voice, the mysterious crest—it all whispered of hidden knowledge, secrets that lay concealed from the world's gaze. Perhaps about the truth that no one knew. Perhaps it had something behind Ultima Eden's action.

"To fight over One Throne," I whispered.

When it was lunchtime, I sat together with Cleo on the rooftop. There, we opened our lunch, prepared by (surprise, surprise) our step-father. Since married, Mama had gotten busier than ever. I heard from the Maid that Lord Noctis made too many mistakes that Mama had to take over. So, now The referred Lord Noctis had been upgraded into a househusband and Mama was our breadwinner!

"Hmm, Cleo, why aren't you eating?" I asked, playfully stealing a bite from her croquette. Yum! Delicious like always.

Cleo took a deep breath before speaking, "Um, Celli... Don't you think it's enough?"

Surprised, I paused and tilted my head, not fully grasping her point. "What? Dad's cooking is the best. I can't get enough of it," I replied.

But Cleo shook her head, her expression serious and her lips trembling slightly. "Stop joking around, Celli. I'm serious. I know you awakened your Divinity, and that's why you don't take school as seriously as before. But have you ever thought about those who do?"

Her words caught me off guard. I really didn't understand what she was so upset about.

"I am serious, you know. I ranked first in the class, didn't I?" I replied bluntly.

Ah...

A moment of silence hung between us as I brushed my hand through my hair, feeling the awkwardness settling in. I couldn't bear to see the mix of frustration and disappointment in Cleo's eyes.

I knew she worked really hard as the heir of Noctis, diligently training day and night while trying to excel academically. Yet, despite her efforts, she hadn't awakened her Divinity. She even failed at her study, not ranked 100 in our grade. Even in our sparring sessions, she never once defeated me. Because of that, she faced harsh criticism from Mama.

However, each day, she worked even harder. It pained me to see the bruises she would come home with. Yet... it became hard for me to talk to her. With each passing day, I could feel our relationship grow strained... to the point, I didn't understand my twin anymore.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you. I understand that you take your studies seriously, and I respect that! But it's just... these changes in me, the awakening and everything, have been overwhelming, to the point of scaring me," I continued and then laugh awkwardly,

"So, I decided not to take everything too seriously and just laugh it off. It feels refreshing that way. Sorry, if it ticks you off."

Cleo's expression remained tense, her emotions barely contained. "So, my efforts are a joke to you?" she retorted, her voice laced with frustration, as she closed her lunchbox and rose from her seat. "I guess life is easy for the naturally talented, huh?"

...! Really? She said that...?!

I clenched my fist and gazed at her sharply, "Hey! That's mean. Just because I look happy-go-lucky doesn't mean my life is easy, you big dumbass!" I shouted.

"It is easy! People never expected anything from you. If you fail you can just laugh it off like nothing. While I had to deal with the backlash for you. The more you messed up, the more work I had to do!" Cleo shouted back.

"Huh? Since when my mistake becomes yours? Don't be a busybody," I crossed my arm and rolled my eyes, "Geez, you've been pampered by Mama too much that you become this selfish. Yeah, yeah, you've been working hard. But if there is no result, then it doesn't mean anything!"

Cleo's eyes gleamed with unshed tears. At that moment, I knew, I went too far. "S-Sorry, Cleo... I-I didn't mean that-"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid Celli!!!" Cleo shouted before turning abruptly and running away.

"W-What! My stupid sister calling me stupid!? Ugh!" I shouted back.

As I watched her retreating figure, my heart sank, and a heavy sigh escaped my lips. "Geez, when did everything become so complicated?"

Since when did the two of us hurt each other like this? Looking up at the vast expanse of the blue sky, a sense of longing washed over me.

I miss us, Cleo. I miss the love we once shared without envy or bitterness.

------------ [INITATING UPDATE. DOWNLOADING- Bzzt!] ------------

[Phew, damn, that Super AI is really persistent. If I don't keep watch on your data, who knows what it'll do to you.

... Well, two years passed in your time, but I never thought that my hacking would trouble you a lot LOL. I can implant the data in your memory, but it would only defeat the purpose.

You have to remember your power on your own before it's too late.

Every god is affiliated with Familia. Each giving them unique power depends on your Mastery of the Path. For example, Order Familia would let you cast powerful magic more efficiently down the path.

But yours, Path of Throne is special! It starts really weak and useless (like who the hell needs DMG reduction?). But, down of the path, you'll get really strong as hell! Believe me. Most of your ability is locked now, but don't worry to unlock it, it'll only need Level and a Magicore.

Once I got my paycheck tomorrow, I'll pull 6 of your Magicore. Believe me!

Anyway, here I'll give your Path summary. You should be grateful, Throne.

ID: 5 Star Character - Cellia Kirana

Path of Throne Lvl 1

Current Effect:

Current ability:

First Magicore [Don't leave me] -> Use blood to Heal. HP Healed equals 600 + 30% HP. Increase ally HP regen by 100%. Status:

Requirement: Reach Lvl 25 and sacrifice one Magicore.

Second-- bzztt

[Target detected. Neutralizing Malware. Deleting... Success! Control regained.

Welcome home, Miharu-sama]

[Hey, Bootcamper. Did you really think you could defeat me? Think again! This is the power of the Developer!]

[Downloading latest Patch 1.1... Success! Updating Character information. Verifying Data Integrity. No virus detected.]

[Opening Data Files. Showing Updates on Character ID 192858]

ID: 5 Star Character - Cellia Kirana

Path of Throne Lvl 0

Current Effect:

Current ability:

First Magicore [Void Viper - LOCKED] -> Corrupt your Allies/Enemies with Demonic Decree. Increase their STR, AGI and INT by 20% at a cost of 1% HP/minute. Heal yourself with HP eaten from your Ally.

Requirement: Defeat your Sister at Blood Rite without any DMG taken.

Second Magicore [Devouring Lament - LOCKED] -> Release Dark Aura that deals Abyss DMG based on 685 + 70% STR per pulse. Each Pulse cost 10% HP, with cooldown 5 seconds. While in effect, character gain ability to control blood but lose CON by 50%. Killing enemy increase STR stats by 10% for 1 minute and restores 10% HP . Can stack 5 times.

Requirement: Unlock the first magicore first to see the details.

Third Magicore [Shadow Edge - LOCKED] -> Brainwash enemies with 60% INT lower than Celli. While in effect, quickly deplete enemy HP by 1%/ second, but the brainwashed enemy gain 20% Celli stats and can use [Void Viper]. If HP reach 0, the brainwashed enemy will turn into Anima. Can't be used on [Player].

Requirement: Unlock the second magicore first to see the details.

Fourth Magicore [Child of Evil - LOCKED] -> Call upon cursed sword that absorbs enemy CON by 5% per hit. When Enemy CON reduced to 0, unleashed a powerful Abyss DMG based on 666 + 200% CON absorbed. Sword strength based on 300 + 20% CON. Inflicts Burn DMG to self based on 1% CON/ second. Half Void Viper effect.

Requirement: Unlock the third magicore first to see the details.

Fifth Magicore [Together, Forever - LOCKED] -> Summon Abyss Princess Lvl 100 and Abyss Queen Lvl 100 to fight with user. Inflict [Nightmarish Anguish] which permanently decreased User's HP by 10% each time this skill was used. When user HP below 30% of initial value, The Abyss Princess and Queen will attack the user. 

Requirement: Unlock the fourth magicore first to see the details.

Six Magicore [Divine Punisher - LOCKED] -> Transform into a malignant Anima. While in Anima form, increase all stats by 120% but increase DMG taken by 200%. Each attack corrupt [Player] Data. Permanently delete [Player] Data after 7 hit. Duration 1 minute. Each corruption extended duration by 30 seconds. Reduced HP to 1 after duration ended.

Requirement: unlock every Magicore and accepted Punishment of The World.

[Heh, this will teach you not to mess with me. Your effort to save Throne is futile. 

Just give up. 

This time, I will surely destroy that character and save my game.]

[Deleting App from IP 199028XXX. Success. Terminating Access.]

------------ [Bye bye, Bootcamper] ------------